Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With the rollout of HealthCare.gov -- the portal for enrollment in the new Obamacare health care exchanges -- getting hammered by critics and users , CNN 's Dr. Sanjay Gupta sat down with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for an exclusive interview .

Here are Gupta 's takeaways from the interview :

1 . Full speed ahead

I was surprised to learn just how extensive the concerns were before the October 1 rollout . Congressional investigators claim that just weeks before the planned rollout , more than two-thirds of insurers had concerns about the system being viable by October 1 . Just days before the launch , the website crashed while being tested with just a few hundred people logging in , according to the Washington Post .

Despite all that , the White House decided to move forward . When I pressed Sebelius on this point , she said , `` We moved forward because millions of people have been waiting for health care insurance , '' and they did n't want to delay any longer .

Sebelius on the spot over Obamacare rollout

She made that point a few times : A few weeks wo n't make that much of a difference given that open enrollment lasts until the end of March , and that millions more people could have health insurance by that time .

2 . Obama did n't know ?

According to Sebelius , President Barack Obama was not aware of any significant problems until a `` couple days '' after the website had been launched .

The Affordable Care Act is touted as a signature achievement for the Obama administration , and it surprised me that the President was not being kept up to speed -- according to Sebelius -- on the concerns around the rollout .

Sebelius : Obamacare website rollout problems blindsided President

3 . A-Team late to arrive

Sebelius said in order to get the website running smoothly , she has asked that contractors bring in their `` best and brightest , '' their `` A-Team . '' I was surprised that the A-Team had n't been assembled earlier , given the magnitude of the ACA , and the challenge of setting up the website .

When I pressed the Secretary on this point , she just said that she wants new eyes and ears , and to put all hands on deck , working toward a solution as quickly as possible .

4 . Open to delaying fines ?

Sebelius did not back down on the individual mandate , which requires people to have health insurance or pay a fine .

I asked how it was possible that people could face a fine , if they had tried to sign up and were unsuccessful . At that point , it seems she might have left the window open to a delay , saying only : `` I do n't think that that really is the question right now . ''

`` The issue is will people be able to sign up for affordable health care in the six-month open enrollment period ? And I think the answer is absolutely yes . ''

Whether or not this issue comes up again is unclear . For now , the Secretary said the individual mandate is here to stay .

Administration to kick off effort to encourage enrollment

5 . Falling on her sword ?

Finally , I asked her about the calls for her resignation . Over the past few days , her friend , Sen. Pat Roberts , as well as 2012 Republican vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan , have raised the possibility .

While not giving a decisive no , Sebelius again reinforced the mission of this task , saying it was the most important job she has ever had . She also reinforced that she served at the pleasure of the President .

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Sebelius said they pressed on with rollout because they did n't want to delay access to health care

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Fact that President Obama was n't being kept informed on biggest domestic program was a surprise

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`` A-Team '' being called in now amid rollout debacle instead of involved much earlier

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Sebelius says individual mandate will not be delayed despite website issues